(05/08/08 4:00am)
Starring:Robert Downey Jr.Jeff BridgesGwyneth PaltrowTerrence HowardRated: PG-13Directed by:Jon FavreauKatelyn's rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4Peter Travers' rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 4rottentomatoes:93 percent freshMove over Spiderman, there's a new superhero in town. As the latest addition to the long line of Marvel Comics' adaptations, "Iron Man" proves to be an edgy frontrunner for this summer's incoming superhero flicks.Robert Downey Jr. stars as Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist who owns Stark Industries, the leading high-tech weapons maker in America. After a routine trip to Afghanistan to promote a new line of military weapons, he is captured by a rebel regime and forced to construct a missile for them.Being an intelligent and resourceful man, he decides to use his time in captivity to make an ironclad suit to break out of the Afghanistan cave where he is imprisoned, hence the name Iron Man.Upon returning to the U.S., a changed Stark pulls the plug on his company's distribution, stating that it will no longer produce weapons. He then devotes all his time to building a new revolutionary ironclad suit to help rid the world of evil.Stark's new feelings about his company's role in the world are not shared by everyone, including his corporation's right-hand man, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges."Iron Man" also stars big- name actors Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard. Paltrow plays Pepper Potts, Stark's personal assistant and semi-love interest. Howard tackles the role of Jim Rhodes, Stark's partner, closest friend and chief aviation officer for Stark Industries.Both are smaller roles compared to Downey Jr., who is the lifeline of this film. "Iron Man" is unlike many superhero movies due to the fact that the main character does not have any real superhuman abilities. Stark is just an ordinary man who decides to take action against those who hurt others.Although Downey Jr. may not seem like the immediate first choice in viewers' minds to star as a superhero, he proves to be just what the doctor ordered. Known for being an "actor's actor," he gets his character's personality just right, as a wisecracking playboy and industrial genius.Downey Jr., who bulked up quite a bit to play the part, added a comic and humble flair to Stark, which made it easy for the audience to get attached to him.Director and actor Jon Favreau, who is also responsible for "Elf," hit this film out of the water, raking in more than $104 million in the opening weekend. This outrageous intake landed "Iron Man" the prestigious honor of being the tenth biggest opening in Hollywood history.Although "Iron Man" may not be as well known as Superman or Batman, or have the skin-tight leather outfit, it is one of the most entertaining superhero movies I have seen in a long time. t&c;
(04/04/08 4:00am)
While other students were traveling to exotic places like Panama and the Bahamas, a few decided to spend their spring breaks helping those in need.Professors and students traveled around the world, from South Carolina to Costa Rica, to give their time and energy to people who needed it.One of these service trips included the nursing department. Marjorie Vogt, an associate professor in the nursing department took a crew to Honduras, on an exploratory trip, to assist medical teams at a local hospital. Their trip was sponsored by Total Health, Inc., an outreach program through the Great Commission Church of La Ceiba, Honduras. "We had the opportunity to work with the local physician and medical staff to provide care at the clinic, do entrance physical examinations on the local school children and provide health care to over 150 people in a remote village," said Vogt.The clinic they helped was located outside of La Ceiba, the third largest town in Honduras.The group stayed with members of the local church, and helped people who were subject to poor conditions and slim medical services. "Patients were in very close quarters, and the hospital did not routinely provide sheets, gowns, or food," said Vogt. "Although prescriptions were written for the patients, the medications were not available 70% of the time." Though this trip to Honduras was exploratory, the nursing department is no stranger to participating in service opportunities. The department has a long history of service with a Mexican medical clinic."Nursing students (and some Spanish students) found these service-learning projects to be extremely satisfying and a positive learning experience," said Vogt.The medical teams in Mexico were sponsored by OhioHealth and the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. These teams include members of the health care field including physicians, pharmacists and physical therapists.In the future, Vogt stated that Total Health, Inc. is in the process of opening up a medical clinic in Nicaragua, where Otterbein could collaborate.Both the clinic in Honduras and the potential one in Nicaragua will be mirrored towards the clinic the department worked with in Mexico.Another department to send students away for spring break was the science department. Associate professor of life and Earth sciences, Jeffrey Lehman, took 11 students to Costa Rica to study tropical ecology and agriculture. They also had the opportunity to travel through many different environments including the dry, cloud and rain forests. Though many students were sent across the sea to study and provide service, some contributed closer to home. Under the organization of chaplain, Monty Bradley, the Habitat for Humanity chapter went to Bluffton, S.C., to take part in the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge. "Our crew was a part of HFH's Collegiate Challenge alternative spring break program, which this year alone sent 12,000 students to work in 210 locations throughout the country," said Bradley.The crew, which consisted of 14 students, went to work building houses for local families. "Their 'mission' or purpose was to help make available affordable housing, and to build homes with the folk of the Bluffton Habitat affiliate," said Bradley. The crew got a chance to meet and work with many families while on their week-long trip. "They were very appreciative of the work we did, and I feel meeting the families made the biggest difference. I could see these were people who needed the help and were very willing to work for it: they weren't just expecting the get a house for nothing," said senior organizational communication major Megan Witt. In the future, Witt hopes that others will take part in the service trips Otterbein offers. "I love Habitat for Humanity, because they are not an organization that gives hand outs: They give hand ups," she said. "We are helping others help themselves." t&c;